


An Unexpected Proposal

by ZellieAlmasy



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: M/M, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-18
Updated: 2015-07-18
Packaged: 2018-04-09 22:40:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4366934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZellieAlmasy/pseuds/ZellieAlmasy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While attempting to court Dorian, Cullen accidentally asks for a bit more than he realizes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Unexpected Proposal

At first, Cullen attempted to ignore Dorian’s flirtations. It seemed like a basic part of the mage's personality to flirt with everyone, so there was no reason to take it personally. He thought himself better than to fall for such insincere flattery, but as time went on and Cullen became more familiar with Dorian, he found that he started actually _wanting_ the flirting to be real. They began to spend more time together, purposely seeking each other out for games of chess, or even just casual conversation.  
  
The relationship appeared promising, however, Cullen realized he hadn’t been giving the best impression that there was mutual interest between them. Instead of flirting back, he tended to awkwardly rub the back of his neck while his cheeks and ears turned a bright shade of pink. Perhaps it would be easier, he decided, to offer some sort of gift to express his interest.   
  
While Dorian was away on a mission with the Inquisitor, Cullen browsed among the vendors that had set up their wagons in Skyhold’s courtyard. He wasn’t sure if he’d even be able to afford something worthy of Dorian’s high social status ore even find a decent gift in a traveling merchant’s cart, but he eventually managed to find something acceptable.   
  
Among the various potions and trinkets on display, Cullen spotted a pair of white silk gloves with gold trim that looked as though they would match Dorian’s cloak. They were a bit more expensive than most of the other supplies sold by the merchants, but Cullen was willing to spend a little extra for Dorian. He even took the gloves to Dagna for an enchantment that would help the wearer expend less mana while casting spells.   
  
With nothing left to do but wait, Cullen safely secured the gloves in his dresser until Dorian returned. With each day that passed, Cullen only started second-guessing himself more and more. What if Dorian didn’t like the gloves? Or maybe all the flirting really meant nothing after all, and this would only make Cullen look like a fool. Either way, he couldn’t let a pair of perfectly good gloves go to waste, so he would have to simply hope for the best.   
  
The day the Inquisitior finally returned, Cullen stood at the gate with the rest of his soldiers to greet the returning party. Despite his previous self-doubt, all this waiting has actually made him more eager to present Dorian with his gift, but Cullen knew better than to ambush the man in front of everyone like this, and the mage was clearly in a sour mood. After spending three weeks in the Western Approach, Dorian was extremely vocal about needing an immediate bath to remove all the sand that had settled beneath his clothing. The gift could wait while Dorian spent some time relaxing after his journey. Besides, Cullen needed to attend a war table briefing to receive details from the Inquisitor’s latest mission.   
  
The meeting went just as expected with more reports of Venatori activity in the area. In addition, the Inquisitior requested a garrison of Cullen’s men to build a bridge in the area. After the Inquisitor dismissed the advisors, Cullen addressed his troops to give the details of the project and assign soldiers to the task.   
  
It wasn’t until later in the evening when Cullen finally completed his duties. By then, he figured Dorian ought to have had plenty of time to bathe and relax. Cullen retrieved the gloves from his dresser and started making his way to Dorian's chambers. As he passed by the garden, he noticed a crystal grace plant was in bloom and decided to pick one of the flowers. Its pale color ought to match the gloves nicely, Cullen thought.   
  
He finally reached Dorian's room, heart pounding in his chest. With a deep breath, Cullen held the items in one hand behind his back and used the other to knock firmly on the door. After a moment, the mage finally answered, dressed in a simple light robe for the evening. The fabric was tied loosely around his waist, leaving most of Dorian’s chest exposed. Cullen swallowed thickly, trying not to stare for too long.   
  
“Ah, Commander,” Dorian greeted with a warm smile. He moved out of the doorway, allowing Cullen to enter. “Please, come in.”   
  
Cullen accepted the invitation and stepped into the room. The scent of oils and incense still lingered in the air, along with a slight humid feeling from the hot bath water. It was meant to create a relaxing atmosphere, but Cullen only tensed up further as the image of Dorian bathing popped into his head.   
  
Dorian spoke up again, thankfully breaking Cullen out of his daydream. “What brings you here at this hour?”   
  
“Nothing urgent,” Cullen replied, attempting to remain casual. “I just wanted to give you this.” He brought his hand from behind his back and handed Dorian the flower with the gloves.   
  
The mage stood silently for a moment, looking at the items with raised eyebrows. Worried by the pause, Cullen nervously continued, “It’s all right if you don’t like it. I don’t mean to be too forward. I just thought you might–”   
  
“I accept,” Dorian interrupted with a wide smirk as he took the items from Cullen.   
  
Thank the Maker. Cullen sighed heavily in relief, but his heart raced even faster in excitement. He wasn’t entirely sure how to proceed from here, but at least the hard part was over.   
  
“I was hoping, perhaps, tomorrow we could have dinner together. Just the two of us?” He suggested with an optimistic smile.   
  
“I thought you’d never ask,” Dorian readily answered. “How does seven thirty sound? My quarters?”   
  
Cullen almost felt obligated to insist on having dinner in his tower, since he was the one to make the offer in the first place. However, he knew that there was a good chance of being interrupted by soldiers attempting to deliver various reports throughout the evening. Dorian’s room had a much nicer atmosphere, anyway, so Cullen gladly agreed. “I’m looking forward to it.”   
  
“As am I,” Dorian smiled as he warmly pressed Cullen’s arm.   
  
With their plans settled, they exchanged goodbyes for the evening. It felt like they were parting too soon, but Cullen would hate to impose. He did what he came to do – Dorian accepted his gift, and they had plans for dinner. They would see plenty more of each other from now on, Cullen hoped, so he left Dorian his privacy for the rest of the evening.  
  
The next morning, Cullen rallied the troops, as usual. However, for some reason, the men felt the need to congratulate him as they fell in line. Did word already spread that their Commander had a date that night? There was more gossip in the barracks than among the serving girls, but Cullen couldn't see how so many people could possibly have found out about him and Dorian already.  
  
It didn't concern him much. Cullen continued his business and saw the bridge construction garrison to the gate as they began the march towards the Western Approach. As the rest of the soldiers began their usual training, Cullen took his leave to attend a war table meeting with Leliana and Josephine.  
  
“Cullen Stanton Rutherford!” Josephine immediately pounced as he entered the room. “How could you not tell me you were engaged?! Do you realize what this could mean for the Inquisition? Nobility from all over Thedas will be dying for an invitation to the wedding. We'll need to plan a guest list, a venue--”  
  
Cullen folded his arm over his chest, brows knit together. “What do you mean I'm _engaged?_ ”  
  
“To Dorian, of course,” Leliana chimed in. “He's been parading around Skyhold wearing your gloves and flower all morning.”  
  
How could a simple gift possibly translate to a marriage proposal? Cullen was stunned silent.  
  
Sensing the Commander's confusion, Josephine spoke up, “There is an old Tevinter custom in which a suitor presents a gift of white silk and crystal grace as a proposal for marriage.”  
  
“What? I had no idea! It only thought it would be a nice gesture.”  
  
The panic in Cullen's eyes brought the women to a fit of giggles. Seeing that they weren't likely to get any work done today, Cullen excused himself from the war table and quickly set out to find Dorian. He had no idea what he would even say, but something had to be done about this misunderstanding before things went too far.  
  
“Congratulations, Commander,” Solas spoke up as Cullen passed by on his way to the library.  
  
Cullen simply gave an exasperated sigh with a wave of acknowledgment as he headed for the staircase, taking the steps two at a time.  
  
Just as expected, Dorian was in his usual nook, but he was surrounded by a small gathering of other various Skyhold residents who were most likely looking to offer him the same well-wishing that had been shown to Cullen all morning. The mage made show of the gloves on his hands, making big gestures has he spoke, and the stem of the crystal grace had been snugly tucked behind one of the belts strapped across Dorian's chest.  
  
“I'd like a moment alone with my _fiancé,_ if I may,” Cullen addressed the others with a frown.  
  
The group dispersed, leaving the two men alone in Dorian's little corner of the library. He smiled warmly at Cullen as if nothing were amiss. “Good morning, Amatus. I was wondering if I'd get to see you before dinner tonight.”  
  
“Why didn't you say something?”  
  
“But I did, my dear Commander. I said 'yes,'” he smirked.  
  
“To _dinner,_ ” Cullen clarified. “I had no idea what this meant.” He gestured to the tokens Dorian proudly wore.  
  
“Does this mean you wish to cancel our engagement?” Dorian responded. “You wound me.”  
  
The sarcasm was thick in his voice. He had most likely gone along with this just to tease Cullen, but the Commander still felt guilty over the miscommunication. He genuinely was interested in Dorian and would hate for this to ruin any possibility of a relationship.  
  
“I enjoy the time we spend together, and I truly am looking forward to this evening, if you still wish to keep our plans after all this.” Cullen sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “And, yes, I am hoping for something more than just friendship, just... not an engagement. Well, not yet at least. Maybe someday--”  
  
Dorian smiled warmly as he watched the other man trip over his words. He reached a hand forward, gently cupping Cullen's jaw as he interrupted him with a soft, chaste kiss. “No need to worry yourself,” he reassured as he slowly pulled away, savoring the stunned look on the Commander's face. “I'll see you later tonight, Cullen.”  
  
As tempting as it was to pin Dorian against the wall and kiss him properly, Cullen knew he ought to save it for later, when they weren't someplace where people were most likely watching. For now, he simply cleared his throat and replied, “Ah. Right, then. I should be getting back to work.”  
  
He reluctantly left Dorian to return to his troops, but not without hearing a few more congratulations along the way. Cullen wasn't sure what to do about these rumors. Hopefully they would die off on their own once the gossip ceased to be interesting, though it hardly mattered anymore. All Cullen cared about was that he and Dorian had finally come to a clear understanding with one another. Maybe, if he was lucky, Josephine would get to finally plan that wedding someday after all.

**Author's Note:**

> This was another prompt that was given to me: "Cullen accidentally proposes to Dorian while trying to court him through some odd Tevinter custom that he doesn't know about." Another short one-shot, since I was given a bunch of really interesting prompts (and they've all been so fun to write!) but once I get through them all, I most likely will go back and pick out some of the ones I think turned out really well and flesh them out further into longer stories =D


End file.
